HANOI, Aug 25, 2010 (From AFP) - At least nine people have been killed and 12 left missing after Typhoon Mindulle hit central Vietnam, an official said Wednesday. Ten fishermen were among those missing, said the official from the national committee for flood and storm control, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The victims came from a strip of the coast from Thanh Hoa province to Quang Tri, with Nghe, a province worst affected, the official said, adding that it was not yet possible to assess the damage to property.

Mindulle struck central Vietnam late Tuesday afternoon, and has since dropped in intensity and been downgraded to a tropical storm. Typhoons and tropical storms kill dozens of people each year in Vietnam. In July, tropical storm Conson left at least one person dead in Vietnam after killing 68 in the Philippines. In November 2009, at least 40 people died in the country when it was hit by tropical storm Mirinae.

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